The invention relates to a connector assembly for printed circuit boards, comprising a first connector having a first housing of insulating material and a plurality of male signal and ground contacts regularly arranged in rows and columns, and a second connector having a second housing of insulating material and a plurality of female signal and ground contacts regularly arranged in rows and columns, wherein in each row and each column all contacts are arranged at an equal pitch in row and column direction, each row of contacts containing only signal or only ground contacts, respectively, wherein the rows of ground contacts are staggered in row direction by half the pitch of the contacts, wherein four rows of signal contacts and four rows of ground contacts are provided.
EP-A-0 486 298 discloses a connector assembly of this type. In this known connector assembly the contacts are arranged in such a manner that each single signal contact is surrounded by ground contacts.
The invention aims to provide an improved connector assembly of the above-mentioned type.
According to the invention the connector assembly is characterized in that both outer rows of contacts contain signal contacts and in that a further row of ground contacts is provided centrally between the two central rows of signal contacts, the ground contacts of said further row of ground contacts each lying in a column of signal contacts.
In this manner a twinax arrangement of signal contacts is obtained with improved shielding of the signal contacts.